Shorter University

Shorter University is a less selective private nonprofit university in Rome, Georgia. It admits most applicants, graduates 38% of its students within six years, and its former students earn a median $44,604 ten years after starting college, more than 44% of the Georgia colleges we cover.

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Acceptance rate
96%

More selective than 9% of Georgia colleges we cover.

College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class

What your family pays
$16,646 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $35,726. College Scorecard.

Graduation rate
38%

Higher than 40% of Georgia colleges we cover and 21% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.

Within 6 years · College Scorecard

Earnings after college
$44,604

Higher than 44% of Georgia colleges we cover and 24% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.

Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard

Shorter University acceptance rate & admissions

Of 783 applicants, Shorter University admitted 759 and 269 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1040–1200 on the SAT or 18–25 on the ACT.

783
Applied
759
Admitted
269
Enrolled

IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class

SAT total, middle 50% of first-years1040–1200
ACT composite, middle 50% of first-years18–25
First-years who sent SAT scores16%
First-year students who return61%
Pell Grant recipients38%
First-generation students35%
Women / men49% / 51%

Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS

Shorter University tuition, cost & net price

What families actually pay per year, by income

Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.

College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)

Sticker price (before aid)

Tuition & fees$24,630
Housing & meals, on campus$9,784
Books & supplies$1,200
Total cost of attendance$35,726

IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard

Median debt at graduation$12,500
Loan default rate9.7%3-year rate, 2017 repayment cohort

College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal

Full cost breakdown, in-state vs out-of-state →

What Shorter University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back

Graduates of Shorter University took 4.3 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Georgia. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.

Family incomeNet price / yrCost to finishYears to pay back
$0–30k$15,929$68,1766.1 years
$30–48k$21,482$91,9438.3 years
$48–75k$22,944$98,2008.9 years
$75–110k$21,292$91,1308.2 years
$110k+$18,898$80,8837.3 years

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (27% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($44,604) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in GA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $11,088 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method

College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.

Best-value colleges in Georgia for your income →

Shorter University majors, earnings & careers

Shorter University offers 34 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.

  • Humanities & Languages · 10
  • Business & Finance · 5
  • Science & Math · 5
  • Social Sciences & Public Service · 4
  • Arts & Design · 3
  • Education · 3
  • Health & Medicine · 2
  • Communications & Media · 1
  • Technology & Computing · 1

Highest-earning majors at Shorter University

MajorEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debt
Nursing$75,924$26,942
Business Administration$63,873$37,987
Criminal Justice$56,677$30,817
Liberal Arts / General Studies$50,887—
Human Services$50,113$46,320
Education (Elementary / Secondary)$49,864$26,568
Psychology$46,272—
Kinesiology / Exercise Science$42,558$26,000
Quick list of all 34 majors
  • Accounting—
  • Biochemistry—
  • Biology—
  • Business Administration$63,873
  • Business Economics—
  • Chemistry—
  • Communications—
  • Computer and Information Sciences—
  • Criminal Justice$56,677
  • Education (Elementary / Secondary)$49,864
  • Education (Subject Teaching)—
  • English—
  • History—
  • Human Services$50,113
  • Interdisciplinary Studies—
  • International / Global Studies—
  • Kinesiology / Exercise Science$42,558
  • Liberal Arts / General Studies$50,887
  • Management Information Systems—
  • Marketing—
  • Mathematics—
  • Music—
  • Natural Sciences—
  • Nursing$75,924
  • Pastoral Counseling / Ministry—
  • Political Science—
  • Psychology$46,272
  • Religious Education—
  • Religious Music and Worship—
  • Religious Studies—
  • Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
  • Special Education—
  • Studio Art—
  • Theatre—

— means too few graduates to report earnings.

College Scorecard field of study, latest release

All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →

Business Administration → Management analyst

$75,390
Rome
$99,600
Georgia
$101,860
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Nursing → Registered nurse

$83,880
Rome
$93,550
Georgia
$97,550
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Living in Rome

Cost of living
10% below the U.S. average

Overall prices in the Rome, GA area.

BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024

Off-campus rent, 1 bedroom
$972/mo

2 bedrooms $1,204. Housing costs 40% below the U.S. average.

HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027

Weather
52° / 90°

January and July average highs. 55 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.

NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020

Natural hazard risk
Relatively Moderate

Highest: tornado (relatively high).

FEMA National Risk Index, Floyd County

Campus & students

Total enrollment (incl. graduate)1,447
First-year students from Georgia81%
Next most common home statesAlabama, Florida, Arizona
AthleticsNCAA Division II with football · 10 sports
Undergraduate degrees awarded, 2023-2497% bachelor's · 3% associate
Campus typeHighly residential
Student bodyWhite 59% · Black 23% · Hispanic 10% · Two or more 4%International 3%

IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute

Floyd County at a glance

Population99,693
Median household income$65,565
Adults with a bachelor's degree26%
Median age38

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024

Compare Shorter University with similar schools

Similar private colleges in Georgia by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.

SchoolAcceptanceYou'd payGraduationEarnings, 10 yrsPrice gap
Shorter University96%$16,64638%$44,604This school
Life University93%$29,79138%$47,397
Piedmont University93%$20,59947%$49,130
Brenau University88%$18,92433%$54,003
Brewton-Parker College96%$26,05421%$42,009

College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.

Why the price is different

Shorter University would cost you $13,145 less per year than Life University, on average.

  • Lower sticker price at Shorter University, mostly from a lower estimate for personal & travel costs (−$7,740).
  • Shorter University gives aided families $7,576 more in grants, on average.
Per year, Georgia residentShorter UniversityLife UniversityDifference
Tuition & fees$24,630$15,036+$9,594
Books & supplies$1,200$2,400−$1,200
Housing & meals$9,784$13,959−$4,175
Personal & travel$2,160$9,900−$7,740
Living-at-home adjustment−$2,048$0−$2,048
Sticker price$35,726$41,295−$5,569
Average grants−$19,080−$11,504−$7,576
You pay$16,646$29,791−$13,145

“+” means Shorter University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.

Common questions about Shorter University

What is the Shorter University acceptance rate?

Shorter University accepts 96% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 759 of 783 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1040–1200 on the SAT or 18–25 on the ACT.

How much does Shorter University cost per year?

The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $35,726 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $16,646 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $15,929 and families earning $110k+ pay $18,898.

How much do Shorter University graduates earn?

Former Shorter University students earn a median $44,604 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.

What is the Shorter University graduation rate?

38% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 61% return for their second year.

How long does a Shorter University degree take to pay off?

For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Shorter University costs about $98,200 after grants ($22,944 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $44,604 ten years after starting, $11,088 more than high school graduates in Georgia ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 8.9 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).

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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Shorter University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/shorter-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).